Import Tax on my own used clothes?

hoyteam

I recently travelled between countries and posted a box of things to myself in the UK. It`s shown up and they are asking for £50 in import VAT and clearance. The box only has my old clothes in it!

The only catch is, under the direction of the post office at the other end, I wrote the original value of all the clothes. Thats what it would cost to buy them again but certainly not what they are worth.

Do I really need to pay Import VAT on my old clothes!?

feival

I don't think so. Call up Customs and explain. They will then sort this out. I once left my phone in a hotel in Norway. They posted it back to me. As Norway is out of the EU I got charged taxed but after a few calls and a bit of a wite everything was refunded.

JasonLVC

http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/customs/post/sending.htm

"If you're posting your belongings to the UK from outside the EU, you'll need to make sure there is a Customs Declaration fixed to the package, and that it's clearly marked 'personal belongings'. If you don't follow these steps, the customs officer from the UK Border Agency (UKBA) examining the package may assume it's for commercial use or is a gift and you may be charged Customs Duty and/or Import VAT.

If the goods are over a certain value, you may be asked to fill in a form C3 'Bringing personal belongings to the United Kingdom from outside the European Union' to confirm that the goods belong to you. They will send this form out to you and you'll have to send it back before your goods can be delivered"


As feival has stated, contact HMRC, explain the situation and the duties/taxes should fall away.

hoyteam

Thanks for that. I`m going to contact HMRC and can now do so knowing the situation isn`t quite right!